Grenada politician lambasts St Kitts-Nevis PM over hurricane fund

Last updated: October 6, 2017 at 15:37 pm

A politician in Grenada has said the Caribbean region is “deeply saddened” by the establishment of St Kitts and Nevis’ Hurricane Relief Fund.

Terry Forrester, who leads the Grenada Progressive Movement, says St Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris lacks foresight in his decision to reduce the cost of his country’s citizenship by investment (CBI) programme by 50%.

The changes were announced at the end of last month, with the Hurricane Relief Fund designed to raise funds for the country after the passing of Hurricane Maria.

Since the announcement it has changed so that instead of replacing exciting citizenship options it is now a third choice.

“We are all saddened by the devastation but this sends a shocking and terrible message to the international community and indeed to the rest of the Caribbean,” said Forrester in an online editorial.

“The St Kitts and Nevis prime minister needs to understand that this is a time for the region to come together as brothers and sisters to seriously look at the many challenges facing our region and to develop medium and long term strategies to be more self-sufficient and independent.

[caption id="attachment_4006" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Terry Forrester speaks at a press conference.[/caption]

“His decision speaks to a problem of serious systemic deficiency, which correlates to equal systemic social problems that are now affecting our region,” wrote Forrester.

Caribbean joint effort

Prime Minister Timothy Harris has come under fire over the temporary citizenship contribution scheme, which is due to run until early next year. One of the most vocal critics has been opposition leader Denzil Douglas, who described the government’s action as ”unconscionable, unfriendly, selfish, uncaring and reprehensible”. [caption id="attachment_1002" align="alignright" width="300"] Former prime minister and opposition leader Denzil Douglas.[/caption]

He accused Harris of attempting to destroyed the CBI programme in St Kitts and Nevis, which is the oldest in the world.

The divisions in the region come soon after Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States members agreed to share information on CBI applicants to prevent those rejected from applying in another country.

Forrester said: “This strategy is good and speaks to the seriousness of ‘due diligence‘ and therefore any member who is that desperate may have the tendency to bend the rules and compromise the integrity of the entire Caribbean CBI programme.

“This is why we need strong leadership in the region and strong institutions to help build capacity and integrity in the Caribbean.”